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An odd request but that's what this place is for.
Does anyone have any recommendations for 'mobility' car hire? I'm looking for something that has a regular driving seat but is able to take a motorised wheelchair via a ramp. I'm SW London/Surrey boarders and would be looking to hire for a single day.
Basically we visited my wife's Godmother and close family friend today who I've not seen for a couple of years due to COVID and other illnesses. She has been wheelchair bound for years now and used to have her own converted Berlingo van but she's had to give that up now and is pretty much restricted to visiting places she can wheel to locally. We would like to take her out for the day, especially since we went to RHS Wisley yesterday and in telling her about it she seemed quite sad that she can no longer go.
We have a pretty big car but it's no where near big enough and her motorised chair is far to heavy to lift.
Would getting a taxi not be easier?
How far to RHS Wisley. Only as as we used to book adapted taxi's to get MIL to appointments as she couldn't get in a car/suv
I agree an adapted taxi might be easier in theory but she has recently been let down on the taxi front and has pretty much given up. This more about getting her out of the house than making my life easier. When we asked today about going places her response was "I can't find reliable transport"
At the sheltered housing my Nana was at before she went into care, there were adverts up for taxi firms that specialise in helping aged / infirm folk about their day to day lives; they offered to set up routine & scheduled rides for an agreed (fairly low) monthly cost to go weekly to the GP / Tesco / that nice cafe on a Tuesday morning to meet mavis etc.
You just need one taxi driver who is reliable and so she knows she can phone "Dave the taxi" to get around. Is there a local Facebook group you can ask on for reliable taxi firms?
They can be pretty cheap used. Think 2-3k. We looked for my father in law. Otherwise a folding electric mobility scooter will get you around Wisley, and a decent taxi there and back. We were there last weekend and test drove a scooter with my mother in law.
Does she need adapted or need wheelchair transport? Big difference.
Her Berlingo was fully adapted, ramp at the back and she could drive her wheel chair in and straight to the drivers seat where she used hand controls to drive. Unfortunately she has lost more hand control so can no longer drive herself.
Her wheel chair is a big, heavy chair and she can only be lifted out with a hoist which carers do for her at home.
Ideally I was looking for something I can drive but which allows her to wheel herself in via a ramp and which you can secure the chair into. I have seen a few on line so just looking if there were particular companies people had used before
I just googled and a few places came up.
I would imagine a taxi would be cheaper though
Why don't you buy a cheap manual wheelchair, I paid 60 quid for one. Easily fits in a small car, you obviously have to push it though. Or maybe wisley have them to borrow.
Wheelchair for my mum was a godsend, took her everywhere. People are so kind, every door opened for us.
Is the hoist actually necessary for transfers or is it more a health and safety thing?
If you can get her from her chair to the car, then Wisley (and most other gardens and for example National Trust properties) have wheelchairs and mobility scooters available.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/plan-your-visit/Accessibility-at-Wisley
Not much help in SW London, but when my mum became wheelchair bound we used a local firm in Exeter to rent a Berlingo with a ramp.
Was a smidge cheaper than getting it from Enterprise (/ other big chain) IIRC.
I would suspect the hoists are necessary - MIL couldn't be transported by normal car once she stopped trying to stand and lost her confidence after a fall - we could get her from the chair to wheel chair, then get her to a normal cat and gently guide her down, before moving her legs etc to get her in. Couldn't get her in anything SUV height (which are great if you've some mobility issues). Once she was unable to shuffle into a car, it was adapted taxi's.
Hi all, yes the hoist is necessary unfortunately. Polio has slowly removed the use of several of her limbs, she can't move her legs and can only really move arms from wrist downwards. When I first met her 17 years ago she could be transferred but unfortunately this days are behind us.
She has a fanstic adapted flat and is very active locally where she can go out and about in her powered chair, the issue if that she no longer feels she can travel longer distances that require going somewhere by car. There are places she used to love going that she hasn't been to for years so we thought if we could hire something we could take her out for the day without the stress (perceived or otherwise) of relying on taxis.
Thanks for the suggestions, i also did some googling and have a few names but wondered if anyone had used anyone in particular. If I sort something out I'll report back